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Prep Baseball: Colonels fall to Hoptown in extra innings

Tying things up with an unlikely two-out, two-run rally in the seventh inning Friday, the Henderson County baseball Colonels put themselves in position to beat visiting Hopkinsville in the eighth but fell in nine, 5-2.

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Prep Baseball: Colonels fall to Hoptown in extra innings

Mitchell Stinson, Special to The Gleaner
Published 8:03 p.m. CT April 22, 2016

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Photos by JASON CLARK / THE GLEANER Hopkinsville's Dallas Green collides with Henderson County's Jake Willoughby after getting caught in a run-down during the first inning of the game at B.T. Wayne Field in Henderson Friday.(Photo: Jason Clark)

Hopkinsville second baseman Andrew Entsminger (right) and shortstop Tyler Graham collide as they fail to catch a pop-up hit by Henderson County's Jace Pinkston during the fourth inning of the game at B.T. Wayne Field in Henderson Friday. (Photo: Jason Clark)

JASON CLARK / THE GLEANER Henderson County's Tyler Roberts connects on a pitch from Hopkinsville's Tyler Graham during the first inning of the game at B.T. Wayne Field in Henderson Friday. (Photo: Jason Clark)

JASON CLARK / THE GLEANER Henderson County's Jace Pinkston heads for third base after a bad throw to second during the fourth inning of the game at B.T. Wayne Field in Henderson Friday. (Photo: Jason Clark)

JASON CLARK / THE GLEANER Hopkinsville's Kenneth Hyams delivers a pitch as Henderson County's Jace Pinkston bats during the fourth inning of the game at B.T. Wayne Field in Henderson Friday. (Photo: Jason Clark)

Tying things up with an unlikely two-out, two-run rally in the seventh inning Friday, the Henderson County baseball Colonels put themselves in position to beat visiting Hopkinsville in the eighth but fell in nine, 5-2.

The home team's pitching well ran dry in the final frame, surrendering three runs on a single, three walks, a hit batsmen and an error. Hitting, however, was the primary problem for Henderson County, as Hoptown hurlers Tyler Graham and Kenneth Hyams held Colonels batters to one hit and two base runners through six innings.

Facing a 2-0 deficit with time running out, Henderson County got a glimmer of hope when Tyler Roberts led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single up the middle. But his pinch-runner was picked off first and the next batter popped out.

It looked like the game was over and the mood didn't change much when Hunter Kloke earned a walk. Jake Willoughby followed with an infield single into no-man's land between the pitcher and second baseman, then Maclaine Morris was hit by a pitch.

That brought freshman reliever Bryce Willett to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. He proceeded to hit a sharp grounder to the left side and the ball scooted under the third baseman's glove for an error. Two runs scored and the game was tied.

"They (Hopkinsville) kind of gift wrapped a little bit of the game for us," Colonels coach Nathan Isenberg said. "After that we just made too many mistakes."

After Willett shut the Tigers down in the top of the eighth, Henderson opened the bottom half with back-to-back singles. A 1-5-3 double play followed, taking the wind out of the home team's sails and putting it at Hopkinsville's backs.

The Tigers scored their three runs in the top of the ninth and the Colonels made things interesting in the bottom, when Tanner Dallas reached on a leadoff walk and Clay Cannon did likewise on a two-out, hit-by-pitch. Bruan Snow followed with a shot down the left field line that would have plated both runners but was ruled barely foul. He struck out to end the game.

It was an exciting game, if not a good one. "They didn't play well, we didn't play well," Isenberg said. "It wasn't very good baseball...It was entertaining, I guess."